Laser Cutting Operators One Profession, Numerous Roles!

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Laser Cutting Operators One Profession,
Numerous Roles!
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Welcome to 2018! An era in which professionals do
not have to spend hours romancing their
machinery to give quality production. As
companies have embraced stateoftheart
technologies, there is no fretting and sweating
over outdated methods. The same stands true for
the field of laser cutting. Ask laser
professionals about old laser cutting days. A
simple task like refocusing the laser used to
take 15 minutes to an hour. But, thanks to the
advent of autofocusing lenses, stateoftheart
LVD laser consumables and excellent material
types laser cutting jobs became effortless.
Tasks like refocusing now takes lesser than a
minute. Does the above scenario prove that laser
operators have no work? Nope. Even if the
operators rely on software, they
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must supervise certain aspects. Especially when
it comes to creating complex designs. If these
tasks go unattended, the quality will
deteriorate.
They need to check the gas pressure, lens focus,
inspect cut edges and final production to ensure
the output quality. Let us downsize the tasks of
laser operators into 3 phases. Here is how we
can divide it
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sales_at_altparts.com 1.Supervising the Cutting
Process 2.Recordkeeping 3.Preventive
Maintenance Now, let us understand each one of
these points in detail 1. Supervising the
Cutting Process Imagine these scenarios. The
lasers sensor passes through an already cut
part. The scraps of the metal interfere with the
laser nozzle. Metal has burnt corners and dross
forms on its bottom. These might come across as
normal situations but they make a huge
difference to the final output. If the laser
operator supervises keenly, he can keep
situations like these at bay. For example, if
the sensor is not able to ride on the tippedup
part, its head might crash leading to nozzle
damage and prolonged production hours. The
operator should also supervise the gas pressure
and make sure it is consistent. If there is a
drop in the gas pressure, it means that the
cylinder is about to get over. Even
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if the supervisor defines the machine cutting
parameters, there are chances for the materials
to form a dross. Thus, he constantly needs to be
around the sight and keep a check on these
details. 2. Recordkeeping tasks Although the
software keeps a lot of digital information, it
can also deceive you in case it loses data. To
keep such situations at bay, it is advisable to
keep a backup of all the data. A data logbook is
always a great help for professionals who
operate laser cutting machines. For example, if
they want to keep a record of the number of
Mitsubishi laser parts that he is maintaining or
recently replaced, they can do that. They can
also note the hours for which the laser was
working as compared to actual cutting time they
took. Through the above rituals they can keep a
check on the operation efficiency, cutting
hours, number of laser parts they bought and
other details. One can also keep a record of
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the time taken to undertake different laser
cutting tasks. Sometimes, there are changes in
the cutting conditions due to a bad quality
lens. An operator should make a note of it and
take necessary changes. 3. The Preventive
Maintenance Last but not the least, comes the
most undermined job of a laser cutting operator.
If they stop checking on laser spare parts and
maintaining them, they are sure to see adverse
effects in no time! It not only affects the
production quality, quantity, and time but also
makes huge holes in your pockets. Operators
should supervise the cutting nozzles, lenses,
and other parts at regular intervals. They should
also keep a record of how often they need to
change the parts. The maintenance of laser
machines depends a lot on the material which it
cut often. Some materials tend to spatter more
as compared to others. Hence, the laser machines
that work with aluminium and steel require
regular supervision and maintenance. Conducting
regular maintenance check will save a lot of
time, money, and efforts.
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If you are a laser cutting operator working in
todays times, you are sure to have undergone
the abovementioned steps in some way or the
other. We hope the above information was
helpful. Please feel free to share your insights
on laser cutting operation roles! About
Author Steve M Glassner is the General manager
of Alternative Parts Inc, the leading
manufacturer and distributor of machine parts
for Amada, Trumpf and various other brand
including LVD laser consumables Machine Tools
industry enthusiast and frequently writes about
various aspects of the industry.
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